New Jersey Legislature Passes Anti-BDS Bill

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The New Jersey State House. The New Jersey General Assembly passed an anti-BDS bill on Monday. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The New Jersey General Assembly on Monday passed legislation that prohibits the state from investing in pension and annuity funds that boycott the State of Israel or Israeli businesses.

The bill was approved in a 69-3 vote, with 2 abstentions. The New Jersey Senate passed similar legislation in May.

“This bill ensures the State of New Jersey will not support those that participate in campaigns fueled by intolerance and antisemitism — like the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. New Jersey legislators took a clear stand against the bigotry and discrimination of BDS, which singles out only Israel,” said Avi Posnick, northeast managing director of the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs.

Trade between New Jersey and Israel amounts to more than $1.3 billion annually.

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“[The anti-BDS measure] is a tremendous milestone for the relationship between the state of New Jersey and the nation of Israel,” said Posnick, who testified before the New Jersey Senate prior to its May 10 vote.

New Jersey joins 12 other US states that have passed similar anti-BDS bills.